Merry and the Doctor
by idrylla
Summary: Merry knew nothing but sadness since the death of her husband and children. Then a mysterious man who called himself The Doctor arrived and promised to help her. He takes her to a planet where the people are dying of the same illness that killed her own family. Merry and the Doctor must race against time to find the cure.
1. Chapter 1

This is a re-upload of the story. I corrected a few spelling errors and broke the story up into chapters to make it easier to read. Comments are welcomed.

Enjoy

Chapter 1

Merry stepped out into the bright sunshine. She blinked her eyes against the b right light. In her hands was a bucket of paint and a large paint brush. She was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. Her brown hair was pulled back into a low ponytail. The day was quite normal. Cars drove up and down the street and off in the distance a radio was being played, but the sunshine and everyday life meant nothing to Merry. A black cloud had descended over Merry and her life. Her motions were automatic.

She opened the paint lid, dipped the brush into it and began painting the fence that ran alongside her house. She did not notice the large blue box that had parked itself just down the road a bit and she did not notice the well-dressed man that stepped out of it.

Merry painted over the markings on her fence. She wanted them covered as soon as possible.

"Excuse me," a rich, deep voice behind Merry said.

Merry spun around and saw in front of her a man in a most curious outfit. The 19th century clothing he wore looked as if he belonged in an old movie and not here in a modern neighborhood. His light brown hair fell in curled ringlets around his face. It was a kind, strong face, but everything about him seemed out of place.

"I'm sorry," he said, "but I couldn't help but notice this picture on your fence." He looked at it for a moment before speaking again. "Did you do this?"

Merry didn't take her eyes off of him. He was such a curious sight. "No," she replied, "I did not. I am, however, trying to paint over it, so if you will excuse me." Merry turned back to the fence and started to paint again. His hand caught hers and kept it from bringing the paint brush down over the fence.

She turned again to face the man who now was holding her hand in the air. She noticed his eyes. They were a bright blue and they seemed to take in every detail they looked at. He started at the fence a moment longer before turning his gaze to her.

"Why are you painting over this?" he asked.

"Because I'm putting the house up for sale and I can't put the house up for sale with this all over the fence." Merry pulled her arm loose from his grip and waved it at the fence.

"But this is very interesting," he said. He took a few steps back and looked at the fence again.

"It's nonsense," Merry said.

The man smiled. "I love nonsense. It keeps life interesting. Who did paint these markings on the fence?"

The last three months of Merry's life flashed before her eyes. Everything that had happened and all the pain that had gone with is rushed over Merry. She felt the familiar hot tears well up in her eyes. Her breathing quickened as she tried to hold back the tears.

The man was still staring at the fence and did not notice the changed that overcame Merry. She took a deep breath and calmly answered his question, "My husband."

"Can I talk to him?" the man asked, still looking at the painting on the fence.

"No," Merry answered. She took another deep breath, trying her best to control her emotions. "He's not here." This time her voice cracked.

The man looked at her. His face suddenly changed from interested to concerned. "Are you alright?" he asked.

Merry quickly looked down to hide the tears that were flowing down her cheeks. She dropped the paint brush into the bucket and then she used both hands to wipe her face. She took another deep breath and looked up at the man. "I'm fine, thank you," she calmly said. "Now, if you will excuse me. I have some things to do."

Merry turned around and started back to the house.

"But that's a Weyk spaceship painted on your fence," the man said.

Merry stopped dead in her tracks and spun around. "What did you say?" Her voice was barely above a whisper.

"Painted right there on your fence is a Weyk spaceship. Why did your husband paint that on your fence?"

"It's a long story," Merry weakly said.

"That's OK. I've got time," the man smiled.

For a moment Merry stared at the man in front of her. His deep green velvet coat hung down to his knees and peeking out from his silver vest was a silver watch chain. His hair, clothes, and manners were so ridiculously out of place that Merry was sure he could not be real, but his eyes and knowledge of the space craft told another story. Merry couldn't decide if she wanted to run and hide or bear her soul to him.

His smile faded a bit. He stepped forward and laid a hand on Merry's arm," I can help you.

Instead of going to the house, Merry walked back to the fence, opened the gate and said, "Come on then." She went through the gate and he followed her. She led him to her back patio. Some outside chairs and table were in the shade of the patio cover.

"Have a seat," Merry said. "I'll go get some tea." She turned towards the house and opened the back door. A thought suddenly occurred to her, "Who are you, please?"

The man stood a little, "I'm the Doctor," he said, "and you are?"

"Merry."

"A pleasure to meet you Mary," he said.

"No, not Mary," Merry said, emphasizing the 'a' sound in the name. "It's Merry." She over pronounced the 'e'. "You know, as in happy or joyful."

"Pardon me, Merry. It is very nice to meet you," he nodded his head.

"I won't be a moment," Merry said and she opened the door and slipped inside. She quickly set to work putting a tea try together. She was incredibly curious to find out who this doctor was.

Outside, the Doctor looked around the yard. His blue eyes took in every detail. There was nothing unusual about the place. The fence stretched along the yard, which was well care for. A small shed stood at the very back of the fence. This was most certainly an unusual place to find a painting of a Weyk ship on a fence.

It was only a few minutes later when the back door opened and Merry stepped out carrying a tea tray filled with goodies. The Doctor quickly stepped to the door and held it open until Merry had passed through it and then he closed the door behind her.

Merry set the tray down on the small table and began to set the dishes out. The Doctor watched her as she quickly unloaded the tray. She set out two place settings, a dish of cookies and a matching tea kettle. The Doctor smiled. He loved Earth. Humans were his favorite aliens. This particular regeneration of himself was especially fond of tea. He sat down in one of the chairs.

"Would you like ginger tea or English tea?" Merry asked.

"English tea, please," the Doctor answered.

Merry filled his cup. "Milk or lemon, Doctor?"

"Milk, please."

Merry poured milk from a saucer into his cup. She handed it to him. "Cookies?" she asked as she picked up the plate of cookies and held it in front of him.

The Doctor took a cookie and set it on his dish. He watched as Merry took several slices of freshly cut ginger and dropped them into her cup. She poured hot water from the kettle over the ginger slices.

She set the kettle back onto the tray, sat back in her chair and looked at the Doctor. He took a sip from his tea and then set the cup down on its saucer. His intense gaze fell upon her.

"Are you sure you want to hear this story?" she asked him.

"Yes, I do," he replied.

Merry took a deep breath and began her story.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"My husband, his name was Peter, received a telescope for his 10th birthday. Every night he was outside looking through it. He learned all the constellations and planets; he saw comets and meteor showers. He was fascinated by all things extra-terrestrial and dreamt of seeing a spaceship.

"When he was eleven or twelve, his dream came true. He said he saw a bright light in the sky that moved about quickly and freely. It wasn't in orbit like a satellite and it wasn't a plane. He watched it as it came close and closer to him. It passed by him, quite close and he saw the unusual shape. It passed him and was soon out of sight. He was quite thrilled at what he had seen, but was even more amazed when it came back into view and flew directly towards him. He said the craft landed right in his yard, the door opened and a humanoid creature stepped out.

"Peter described it as looking much like a human except its head was slightly larger, it had four fingers on each hand and appeared to have a green into to his skin, although, Peter said that it could have been the light from the ship reflecting off the grass that made him look green. Peter spoke to it, welcoming it. It spoke back to him, obviously in its own language. After several minutes, when they realized they could not communicate, the alien turned to leave. Peter said he called out to him. He tore a button off his night shirt and gave it to the alien. The alien put a fist over his chest and gave a slight bow. Peter followed his example and then watched as the craft closed, lifted up and flew away into the night."

Merry paused. She looked at the Doctor. He was calmly sipping his tea, but his eyes were bright with interest. Merry took a sip of her own tea. Ginger tea, her favorite.

"Shall I go on?" Merry asked.

"Please do," the Doctor said. "I do love a good alien story." He picked up the cookie from his plate and took a bite.

"Alright," Merry said. She took another sip of her tea before continuing. "Fast forward 20 or so years. Although life never allowed Peter to follow his dream of becoming an astronaut, he never lost his love for gazing into the night sky. He had never seen another alien spaceship, until about three months ago.

"I had gone to bed and Peter was outside with his telescope, as he was every night. There was nothing at all unusual about the evening. About two in the morning, I woke up and realized that Peter wasn't in bed. I got up and went outside to look for him. I practically fell over him because he was passed out in the grass. Three months ago, it was still very cold out at night. He was wet with icy dew.

I was able to wake him and lead him into the house. He was shivering and hypothermic. I'm a nurse and knew what to do for him. He finally warmed up enough that he was able to talk to me. He told me that his aliens had returned. There were two that came out of the ship this time. One of them pulled something out of a pocket and showed it to Peter. It was the button from his childhood night shirt. Peter put his fist to his chest and bowed. He said the aliens seemed happy to see him.

"It seems they tried to talk, but could not understand each other. Peter said they repeated three phrases over and over. Peter repeated them back and they nodded, but it was obvious that Peter didn't understand. In their own ways, they said their good-byes and the aliens left. Peter said he pulled out his log book and immediately began to write the words and draw pictures of the aliens and their space craft. Cold over took him and he fell asleep in the grass.

"I was quite upset with him for staying out so long in the icy night air and told him he was going to have a nasty cold. He asked me to go and get his book out of the grass. I did and he went to bed.

"The next morning, as to be expected, he was sick. We did all the usual cold remedies, but nothing helped. After a week and not being any better, he went to see his doctor. They gave him antibiotics, but it didn't help. In fact, he seemed to get worse. The cough was a hacking one. He went back to the doctor. They tried a number of different treatments, but nothing helped. A month after he had seen his aliens and gotten sick, he was admitted into the hospital. They could not figure out what was causing the illness nor how combat it. He was worse than ever. Less than a week later, he died."

Merry choked on the tears. The Doctor sat up and leaned forward in his chair. His eyes were sympathetic and full of concern. Merry quickly picked up her tea cup and drained the rest of the ginger tea down her throat. She pulled a tissue out of her pocket and wiped her eyes and face.

The Doctor leaned in closer. "Peter's log book," he said. "Do you have it?

Merry nodded her head. She didn't trust herself to speak. She went into the house and disappeared down the hall. The Doctor followed her into the house, but he stopped at the thresh-hold. He looked around at the clean house and noticed a number of pictures on the wall.

Merry's footsteps distracted him from the photos. Her eyes were teary, but she was quite composed as she handed the Doctor a blue spiral notebook.

"Thank you," he said and he turned around and went back outside. Merry sat down again and poured herself another cup of ginger tea. She watched the Doctor as he flipped through the pages of the book. He stopped at the last few pages and read them carefully.

"Merry, I'm quite good at languages, but I don't understand this." He pointed to a string of words at the end of the final page of the book.

Merry looked. It was Peter's handwriting and she felt the tears well up again, but she kept her composure. "That's because it is phonetic. You see, Peter didn't understand what the aliens were saying, but he wanted to write down what they had said to him. He didn't know how it would be written in their language, so he wrote the phrase phonetically."

"Can you read it?" he asked, holding the book to her.

Merry didn't need to see the book. Peter had insisted that she learn the phrases by memory. She had thought it incredibly silly, but she had wanted to honor Peter's wishes. It was so important to him that she learn it.

"Jodhei tam medodiks. Nsme pyutk aigros. Nsme nkejo inciver," Merry recited.

The Doctor's eyes were wide. He turned the page of the notebook back one page. Peter had drawn some rough sketches of the aliens and their spaceship. The Doctor held out the book to her. "Is this them?" he asked.

"Yes," Merry answered.

The Doctor sat back in his chair and looked at the sketches again. He quietly repeated the words Merry had recited. One word he repeated several times as he seemed to consider its meaning. After several moments, his gaze returned to her. "Merry, you haven't told me the entire story, have you?"

Merry was surprised. How could he have known?

"Have you?" the Doctor repeated.

Merry shook her head. "No," she squeaked out. She was on the verge of crying again.

The Doctor was kneeling in front of her in one quick motion. His took her hands in his. They were warm and despite the sun and warmness of the day, Merry's own hands were quite cold. She looked into his eyes and felt she could tell him the entire story. She had never told the entire thing to anyone.

"We had children," Merry's voice whispered. "We had two beautiful children. Twins. A boy and a girl, Liam and Ailish. They were only 18 months old." Merry's voice quivered, but she went on. She had the strongest need to tell someone the entire story. Why this stranger, she wondered? "The children got sick, too, about a week after Peter got sick. To tell the truth, I wasn't surprised. In a family, when one person catches a cold, so does everyone else. But, like Peter, no medicine helped. They got sicker and sicker until they too, finally died. About three days after Peter. First Liam and then Ailish."

Tears were flowing freely down her face and splashed onto the Doctor's hands, which were still holding hers. Her voice, however, grew stronger. "They were just babies and so innocent of what happened to them! Doctors and police questioned me. Why had my husband and children died within days of each other and I didn't even get sick? I had no answer to their questions and they could find nothing to prove that I had somehow killed them.

"I don't know! Why them and not me? If I could have traded places with them, I would have. I would have gladly given my life if it could have spared them theirs. My life ended that week, Doctor. It ended. Since the funeral, no one has spoken to me. No one knows what to say, but it doesn't matter because I've not wanted to talk to anyone either." Merry's cry turned into a deep sob.

The Doctor pulled his hands away from hers. He reached into a chest pocket on the inside of his velvet coat and produced a beautiful handkerchief. He handed it to her. She buried her face in it and cried. The handkerchief was soft and smooth and had a very pleasant, but unfamiliar odor to it. She held it against her face for several minutes, inhaling the calming smell and finally regaining her composure.

When she lifted her face from the handkerchief, she saw the Doctor sitting in the chair opposite her. His hands were dry of her tears and he sat quite still, however, his eyes seemed to be moist with tears.

"Do you know what I think?" Merry asked. Her voice was quite calm now.

The Doctor shook his head.

"I think the aliens got him sick."

The Doctor leaned back in his chair. "Did you tell this to the doctors or police?" he asked.

"No, I couldn't. Things were difficult enough, but if I had told them about aliens, they would have locked me away in a mental institution," Merry chuckled darkly.

The Doctor smiled a little half smile and nodded his head. Without warning, the Doctor bounced out of his chair and began to pace. His hand stroked his chin.

"I think you are quite right Merry," he said. He paced a few more times before turning back to face her. "Would you like to know the meaning of the message left by Peter's aliens?"

"Do you know what it means?" Merry asked.

"Most of it. I told you, I'm quite good at languages. Once you spoke the words to me, I understood. Well, all except for one word." He looked straight into her eyes and took a deep breath, "Where is the healer? We are sick. We need inciver."

Merry stared at him, "The healer? As in 'the Doctor'? Were they looking for you?"

The Doctor nodded.

"And what about inciver? What does that mean?" Merry asked.

"I don't know," he replied. "Most likely, it is a name for something or someone and has no translation."

Merry repeated the word several times. Why did it seem familiar to her? Suddenly a thought struck her. "Wait a moment. How do you know what that says?" she asked.

The Doctor smiled, "I told you, I'm good at languages."

Merry stood up, "No wait. I've got a cousin, Tim, who speaks 12 languages, but he never could have figured this out. This came from an alien with eight fingers and flies around in a spaceship."

"So do I. Well, I fly around in a spaceship, but I have 10 fingers, like you." The Doctor looked down at his hands. He seemed rather amused by them.

"Wait, wait, wait. You have a spaceship?" Merry asked. She couldn't believe what she was hearing him say.

"Of course. That is how I came to be in your neighborhood."

"That is impossible," Merry said.

The Doctor smiled an impish half smile. He leaned towards her and said, "I love the impossible."

"I didn't hear any spaceship land in the neighborhood. And if there was a spaceship parked along the street somewhere, the neighbors would be all over it. There would be a huge commotion and I would have noticed that."

"Well," the Doctor smiled, "my ship is small and unassuming on the outside. Most people don't notice it at all."

Merry ran to the fence and threw open the gate she and the Doctor had come through when he first arrived. She looked up and down the street. It took her a few moments before she noticed the only different think on her street. Two houses away, sitting on the side walk was a blue police phone box. She had seen them in old movies, but never in person and never on her street. Why hadn't she noticed it right away? Merry watched as two people walked right passed it.

"How do they not notice it?" she asked.

The Doctor was standing by her side, smiling. "It's got a perception filter on it. It is there and anyone can see it, but only if they want to. If you know to look for it, it is there, but to anyone else, while it is there, they just don't notice it. It's quite a handy trick, really."

"So that police box is your spaceship?" Merry looked at it doubtfully.

"Yes. It's called a TARDIS. She's an old girl, but a good one."

Merry smiled. "Perhaps I'm not the one that should be taken off to a mental institution."

The Doctor laughed. Merry turned to look at this strange man. Everything about him was so unusual. His clothes, his way of speaking, and his ease with discussing extra-terrestrial material. Her mind told her this man was completely crazy, but she had the oddest feeling to trust him. Perhaps it was the eyes – happiness and sadness, old and young all rolled into one.

"So, are you ready?" he asked.

"Ready for what?"  
"Ready to go help the Weyk's?"

"What is the Weyk's?" Merry asked.

The Doctor smiled, "Not a what, but a who. The Weyks are Peter's aliens."

Merry looked skeptically at the Doctor, "What? You mean they're real?"

"Well of course they are real. And, if their message is true, they are sick and need our help."

Merry walked back to the porch and began gathering the tea things, putting them back onto the tray. Her mind was in a whirl. "How do we go help them?" she asked.

"I take you there in the TARDIS of course," he answered.

Merry picked up the tray. "You mean in that police box? It's a little small isn't it?"

"Only on the outside, but the inside is the gateway to the universe." His eyes glanced up at the sky. Merry followed his gaze. She saw a bright blue sky, fluffy clouds and birds flying overhead. She hadn't properly looked at the sky in a very long time. She smiled. To really go up into the sky… Peter would have loved this. Her musings were interrupted by the sound of her back door being opened. The Doctor held the door open and Merry carried the tea tray into the house. She set it down on the counter and began to unload its contents. Her mind was spinning – spaceships, aliens, and this man who called himself the Doctor.

"I've been to Earth many times and drunk many cups of tea, but with the exception of being in the company of royalty or high ranking Lords, I've never had so formal a tea served in so informal a place as an everyday backyard," the Doctor said.

Merry chuckled. "My grandmother was from England. When I got married, she insisted I have proper tea things. I've hardly ever used them. Peter never cared much for tea, but you seemed a person who would appreciate a tea served. Maybe it was the clothes or your foreign accent, but I wanted to put my best foot forward and serve my company a proper tea."

"I thank you for your thoughtfulness," the Doctor said. He walked to the wall and looked at the pictures that hung there. One picture in particular held his gaze. It was Merry, in obviously happier times. Her eyes were bright and her smile broad. In her lap sat a little girl with dark, curly hair. Next to them was a smiling man holding a little boy. "Your family?"

Merry stood beside the Doctor and looked at the picture. "Yes. This was taken at the twin's birthday. I'm holding Ailish and Peter is holding Liam."

"Ailish looks a lot like you," he said.

Merry nodded. "That is what everyone said. She was a doll. They both were. I miss them so much. I miss their voices, the sound of their feet running across the wooden floor, their laugh and the way their little arms hugged me when they woke up in the morning." Merry turned away. She pulled the Doctor's handkerchief out of her pocket and buried her face into it. It seemed to have magical properties. From the moment it touched her face and she inhaled its fragrance, she felt calmer.

The Doctor laid a hand on her shoulder. "It's alright to cry and mourn for those we've loved and have lost. I'm going to help you, Merry. I'm going to help you find peace and closure."

"I don't think that is possible Doctor. However, if these Weyks are truly sick and you can help them, then I want to come and help you," Merry said.

"Are you ready, then?" the Doctor asked.

"What? Now?" Merry was surprised.

"Of course. No time like the present," he said. He turned and went out the back door. Merry felt a bit like a rat following the Pied Piper. She couldn't explain herself, but she just had to follow him. A quick thought came to her and she grabbed a small black box off her coffee table and stuck it into her pocket. She turned and followed the Doctor out the door.

He was waiting for her at the gate. He held out his elbow to her and she took it.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

They walked together to the blue police box. Merry could feel the spring in his step as he walked. It seemed he was on a grand adventure and Merry began to capture his infectious enthusiasm. As they approached the box, the Doctor stuck his left hand into a pocket and pulled out an odd shaped key. He stuck it into the lock, turned they key with a click and pushed open the door.

Merry stepped inside and stopped in her tracks. She had seen many movies about space ships, but nothing she had seen or could have ever dreamed could have prepared her for what she saw inside that police box. In the center of a very large room was a hexagonal control panel. In the center of the control panel was a tall glass tube that went up into the ceiling. It emitted a blue glow. Everything had an old fashioned steam-punkish feel to it, but with a futuristic twist. Merry wasn't sure what to think or do. She felt a hand on her back. It gently pushed her further inside the box.

"It takes some getting used to," the Doctor said. He closed the door behind him and bounced down the steps. He went to the hexagonal console and began to turn knobs and flip switches.

Merry felt a slight movement, as if someone on the outside had just shoved the box. The two glass panels inside the large glass tube began to go up and down and a sound unlike anything Merry had ever heard began to hum. It was rhythmic and rather hypnotic.

Merry slowly approached the center of the room.

"It's alright. Come on over," the Doctor held out his hand. Merry went closer. He took her by the elbow and brought her right up to the controls. "See here, this is the navigation controls, here is the accelerator, the regulator, compass, and the emergency brake. This thing is the time rotor and here's a clock, in case you want to know the local time, and well, there's a bunch of other knobs and switches that do stuff."

Merry looked over the console in amusement as she watched the Doctor walk around flipping more switches and turning more knobs. She took a moment to look around the rest of the room. It was filled with candles, book shelves, dark mahogany drawers, several globes, a large collection of ticking clocks, a couple of unusual ferns and a piano.

"You have a piano in your spaceship?" she asked.

The Doctor looked over in the direction of the piano. "Yes," he said, "I like good music. Do you play?"

"No," Merry chuckled. "Do you?"

"I can," he said. The Doctor flipped one final switch on the console and then he walked over to the piano. "Would you like to hear?"

"Yes, please," Merry said. She stood beside the piano. The Doctor lifted the lid and began to play. The notes were sweet and clear as a bell. The piano was a beautifully made instrument and the TARDIS provided perfect acoustics. The song was soft and slow and slightly melancholy.

"Thank you. It's an old Gallifreyan lullaby."

"That was beautiful, Doctor," Merry said when he had finished.

"Gallifreyan?" Merry asked.

"That is where I'm from, Gallifrey. I used to sing it to," the Doctor abruptly cut himself off. "Well, here we are!" He hopped off the piano bench and bounced back to the center console. The humming machinery had stopped and everything was quite still. "We've made it to Weyk."

Merry quietly closed the piano lid. She walked up and stood alongside the Doctor. He was watching a stream of information on the monitor overhead.

"Doctor," Merry said quietly, "as a parent who just lost her children, I recognize the look in your eyes just now. You've had children and lost them, haven't you?" Merry watched a tear fall down the Doctor's cheek. She took his arm in both of hands. "I'm so very sorry."

"Thank you," he whispered. "It happened a long, long time ago. Most of the time, I don't think about it. Time is wonderful like that. It does heal. Oh, the pain never really goes away, but it does get easier. You'll find this out too, one day. I'm afraid your story has hit me rather close to my hearts and that is why I want to help you find peace."

Did he just say hearts?

Merry couldn't help herself. She flung her arms around the Doctor and hugged him. The gesture surprised him at first and then he hugged her back. He smelled just like his handkerchief and immediately, Merry felt calm.

"Thank you," she whispered into his shoulder. They released each other and looked into each other's face. His smile grew wide.

"Shall we go?" he asked.

Merry returned the smile and nodded. He took her by the hand and led her to the door. He pulled the door open and Merry stepped out.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Merry was starting to get use to the stream of surprises that one seemed to encounter with this Doctor, but somehow, she figured when the doors of the TARDIS opened, she would see her tree lined street. But, this was not her street. They were inside a building, a large, finely decorated building.

The Doctor stepped out behind Merry and closed the door to the TARDIS. He quickly surveyed the environment and decided which direction to head. Merry followed him. It wasn't long before they arrived at what Merry guessed would be a reception desk in an office building. Behind the desk sat a humanoid creature. It was just like Peter had described – larger head, lightly greenish tint, and eight fingers.

"Good afternoon," the Weyk said as the Doctor and Merry approached the desk.

"Good afternoon," the Doctor replied. "I would like to meet with your mayor."

"I'm afraid he is rather busy and in a meeting right now. May I have your name please?" the receptionist asked.

"I'm the Doctor and this is Merry, a human from Earth" he answered.

"The Doctor? Are you really?" The receptionist stood up, "Wait right here, please." The Weyk walked out.

The Doctor began to rock on his heels and whistle. Merry was amused by the complete casualness he displayed. She, on the other hand, was feeling slightly overwhelmed. She was standing in an alien building and had just seen and heard an alien speak.

"Wait just a moment Doctor," Merry said after a sudden thought. "What kind of trick are you playing on me?"

The Doctor looked shocked and hurt, "What do you mean?"

"When Peter saw these Weyks in the back yard, he said they spoke another language that he could not understand. He had me memorize the words, which I could not understand. Well, until now. When I think about it, a few of those words are slightly familiar," Merry trailed off in thought for a moment before she remembered the trick the Doctor was playing on her. "I understood the receptionist when she spoke. She spoke English."

"No, no," the Doctor smiled, "you are only hearing English. It's the TARDIS; it translates languages for you, in your head. You are hearing them speak English and they will hear you speaking Weykver. That is what their language is called. I would never trick you like that."

The door the receptionist had passed through opened and a man stepped through it. He quickly walked up to the Doctor, put his fist on his chest and bowed. The Doctor did this also.

"You are the Doctor?" the man asked. "You don't look a thing like I expected."

"Well, it's probably the shoes. I changed them quite recently," the Doctor answered.

"No sir, I mean, well, forgive me, but my father met you years ago. He described you very differently. I suppose you are not the same person." The man looked a little disappointed.

"Your father, he was Mayor Drem, right?" the Doctor quietly asked.

"Yes," the Mayor was surprised.

"Oh yes, I remember meeting him. He was a good man," the Doctor said.

"Indeed sir. You are the same man then?" the man asked.

"I am. I changed clothes. Got rid of the scarf." The Doctor grinned.

Merry was puzzled, but she was getting used to that as well. Everything about this Doctor puzzled her.

The man turned to Merry, "Welcome Human. It has been a long time since one of your species visited us. I'm Mayor Dremkers." He bowed to Merry.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mayor," Merry said.

"Now, if you would both follow me please," the Mayor said, turning to the door and passing through it. The Doctor and Merry followed. They went through a series of long halls before the Mayor opened another door and led them into a large room. It was a conference room one would find in any office building on Earth. It had a long table, chairs, glasses and water on the table, and several landscape paintings on the walls. The only difference between this conference room and one on Earth were the Weyks sitting around the table. They all rose from their seats when the Doctor and Merry walked in. The Mayor walked to the head of the table and sat down. The Doctor held out a chair for Merry. She sat down in it. The Doctor sat next to her and finally all the others in the room sat back down into their seats."

"Fellows," the Mayor addressed the room, "This is the Doctor, whom you all heard my father, Mayor Drem speak of, and his assistant, Merry."

Everyone in the room looked at the strangers and nodded their heads. The Doctor, who seemed quite use to this kind of thing smiled and waved a hand. Merry felt her cheeks go red at all these aliens looking at her. She smiled.

"Doctor, we are meeting today to discuss the terrible plague that has overcome our people and is quickly killing them. We have had many such meetings and so far and have come to no avail." The Mayor was grave. "We have done everything we can think of. We sent troops of our best men and scientists into the furthest reaches of space, hoping to find a cure. Every one of them, who have returned, has come back empty handed."

The people around the tabled nodded their heads again. "Quite frankly," the Mayor dismayed, "we have exhausted all of our ideas and resources."

"Excuse me, if I may," Merry spoke. She was terribly nervous addressing the council of people that sat around the table. She didn't know their protocol or if aliens were allowed to speak at all. When no one objected to her speaking she continued, "I would like to know, what is inciver?"

The group around the table looked astonished and began to whisper to each other.

"How do you know of inciver, Human?" another man at the tabled asked.

This man was smaller than the Mayor and his hair was blacker. Merry was amused that each head of black hair she saw sitting at the table each had a single streak of a bright color in it. The Mayor's was a turquoise blue and the man who had just spoken to her had a streak of emerald green. She wondered if they dyed their hair according to their rank or office in society.

"One of your ships came to Earth and my husband spoke to your people," Merry explained.

One of the other men in the room stood up. "Earth? I went to Earth. I've actually been there twice." He reached into a pocket and pulled something out in his fist. He opened his fist in front of Merry. She laughed and cried at the same time when she saw in his hand, a small white button.

"Peter's button!" she said. "You were the one who met Peter when he was a child and then returned several months ago, but more than 20 years later."

"Yes, that was me. He was such an eager child. I was so happy to find him again all those years later. He remembered me, I believe," the man was quite excited.

"He most certainly did. He was thrilled at having seen you," Merry laughed.

"Did you bring him here with you?" the man asked.

"No, I'm afraid he died. Caught your sickness, I believe." Merry's voice lowered. "Still, I know that he was very, very happy at having seen you again."

The man's head hung low, "I'm sorry. He was my favorite encounter with an alien in all of my space travels."

"Excuse me, Human." The green streaked haired man said. "I'm sorry to hear of your husband's death. He told you about the inciver?"

"Well. It's rather difficult to explain. Your ship came and they spoke with each other," he motioned to the man who was holding Peter's button in his hand, "and you said the word 'inciver' several times."

The man nodded sadly. The Doctor watched the interactions between Merry and the Weyks with great interest. As much as he loved humans, they were always a little funny when it came to space travel and aliens from other worlds. He knew that when they Mayor first spoke to her, she was nervous and afraid, but now, she was holding emotional and complex conversation with them.

"What is inciver?" Merry asked.

The green streaked man sat back into his chair. "Inciver is a plant. We believe it is the cure we seek. Sadly though, no one can find the plant. It is not to be found here and we have found it nowhere else in our travels."

An alien plant. Merry was disappointed. She knew about a few herbs and plants back on Earth, but even then, she only knew a few. There was no way she could know about an alien plant. The meeting didn't last much longer. Everyone had run out of ideas and no one had new information to discuss.

"Doctor," the Mayor approached him and Merry. "This is Gweri, my Deputy. He will show you around. Thank you for coming here, although I'm not sure what you can do for us."

The Mayor turned and left. Gweri, the Deputy bowed slightly and said, "Follow me, please."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Merry noticed that Gweri had a streak of orange in his black hair. The Deputy left the room and led them out of the building. The Doctor was very casual about it as if he had visited this place a hundred times. Merry felt excited about walking on the ground of an alien planet. She looked all around as they walked. Everything was familiar, yet different. Outside, a vehicle was waiting for them. To Merry, it looked like an old fashioned carriage, but no horse pulled it. Merry could feel the motor under her seat as the Doctor helped her in. A Weyk driver took them down the streets of the city.

"I remember a much busier place the last time I was here," the Doctor noted.

"It's the plague," Gweri said. "Many have died and those who are not sick stay indoors now."

They came to a stop several minutes later in front of a large stone building. "This is our school," Gweri explained, "but recently, it was converted into an orphanage. Hundreds of children are there, their parents dead. Killed by the plague."

Merry and the Doctor got out of the carriage and followed Gweri into the building. The sounds of the children filled the building. Merry heard children crying, laughing and singing. The Deputy led them down a long corridor. Merry peeked into the rooms. She saw children of all sizes and ages in the rooms. There were few adults. Maybe one adult per room. Merry wasn't too sure.

Gweri began to explain the situation to the Doctor. The sick children were in one wing of the school and all the well children were in another. They were all orphans. Daily more children arrived at the school after their parents died. Some arrived sick, some well. Merry was shocked.

An adult pushing a cart of food walked past the visitors and into one of the rooms. The sound of excitement from the children could be heard as the food arrived. One of the doors on Merry's left opened and a small child ran out of the room and attached herself to Merry's leg. The Doctor and Gweri stopped their walking down the hall and turned to see Merry. She knelt down to the child.

"Hello there, what's your name?" Merry asked.

The child was silent. Merry looked into her face. Her black hair had a small streak of red in it. Her eyes were violet and her face was wet, like she had been crying. Merry guessed the child was probably just two years old.

An adult stepped out of the room where the child had just run out from. She walked up to Merry and the child. "I'm so sorry," the adult said. "Stjarna keeps trying to run away. She has only been here for two days and she just doesn't understand why she can't go home."

"It's alright," Merry said. She knelt down in front of the child again. "Stjarna, is that your name? It means 'star."

The tiny child put her arms around Merry's neck. Merry hugged the child and picked her up and held her tightly. She looked over to where the Doctor and Gweri waited. The Doctor smiled.

"Can Stjarna come with me for a little while?" Merry asked the caretaker. "I'm getting a tour of the city with the Mayor's Deputy, Gweri. I'll bring her back later, when my tour is over."

The care taker looked concerned. It would be so much easier for her to care for the other children if she wasn't constantly keeping an eye on Stjarna, but could she trust the alien stranger?

"You don't have to take her, but if you want to, I think it would be very nice for Stjarna," the caretaker said.

Merry smiled. She looked the child in the face and asked, "Do you want to go with me and ride in a carriage?"

The child nodded. Merry held her close. "We'll be back later." She turned to face the Doctor. His smile was broad and encouraging. Merry smiled back. They followed Gweri through the halls and then back outside. The Doctor talked with Gweri and got as much information as he could about the situation. Merry was no longer listening. She was enjoying the feeling of holding a child in her arms too much. She knew she missed her children since they had died, but she had not realized how very much her arms had ached for a child to be cradled in them. She talked quietly to the child. Stjarna listened to Merry and nodded her head whenever she heard something she liked, but she never spoke. Merry felt so sad for the child. Stjarna missed her mother and father just as much as Merry missed Liam and Ailish. All of the children in that school were orphans.

Stjarna enjoyed the ride in the carriage. The driver took them to another large building. It looked like a hospital. Gweri and the Doctor got out of the carriage. The Doctor lifted Stjarna and held her while Merry got out of the carriage. Stjarna reached one of her small hands to the curl of hair that hung down over the Doctor's forehead. She twirled her fingers through the curl with all the interest of a young child. The Doctor chuckled. He untangled Stjarna's fingers from his hair and he passed Stjarna to Merry.

Merry and the Doctor followed Gweri into the building. He led them to a room and asked them to wait. Merry sat on a chair with Stjarna in her lap. The Doctor paced the room.

"Doctor? All the people here have black hair with a color streak in it. Does the color mean anything?"

"No. It's a genetic thing, like hair color on Earth. Humans have black, red, brown, blond and white hair. These people have black hair with a color streak in it. It's passed on generation to generation. When a person with a blue streak mates with a person with a red streak, their children could be red, blue or purple. Just like humans and their hair colors."

Merry smiled and looked at Stjarna. "Can I ask you another question, Doctor?"

"Sure," he said. He seemed a little agitated, but not at her. At least she didn't think it was directed at her.

"This child's name means 'star.' How do I know that?"

"I told you," the Doctor said. "The TARDIS translates for you."

"No, this is different. They told me the child's name is Stjarna, but I know the meaning of the word is 'star'," Merry said.

The Doctor stopped his pacing and faced Merry. His shoulders slumped a bit, "I don't know." He coughed.

Merry put Stjarna down and went to the Doctor. "Did you just cough?" she asked him.

"No. It was just a tickle in my throat. That's all," the Doctor explained.

Merry watched the Doctor a moment longer before turning her attention to Stjarna, who was running around the chairs and their legs. Merry laughed, "She seems happy to be free to run around. It can't be fun for her in that orphanage. Are you sure you're alright, Doctor?"

He nodded, but as soon as he did, he coughed again, harder and longer this time. Merry turned him around and laid her hand on his back. She couldn't feel anything through his thick velvet coat. Then she pressed her ear to his back. She could hear it, the rattling in his lungs. It was just like Peter had when he was sick. She turned him back to face her. "Doctor, you're sick."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"Doctor, you're sick."

"No I'm not," he shot back at her.

"Yes, you are. I heard it in your lungs, just like Peter. We've only been here a few hours. How is it you've gotten sick so quickly?"

The Doctor slumped down into one of the chairs. He looked very tired. "My physiology is different. I've got two hearts, to start with. I guess this illness progresses faster on two hearted species."

"You have two hearts?" Merry asked.

The Doctor nodded.

"No wonder," Merry smiled.

The doctor looked up at her in surprise. "What do you mean by that?"

"Two hearts. No wonder you are so kind."

A smile spread across his face before he began coughing again. The door opened and several men came into the room, including the emerald green haired man Merry had spoken with at the meeting with the Mayor. When they saw the Doctor coughing, they rushed up to him. The green haired man pulled out a curious instrument from his pocket and held it to the Doctor's head. He looked at its readings.

"He's got it, Gweri. Let's get him moved to a room."

A bed was brought in. Merry took hold of one of the Doctor's arms and Gweri took his other arm. The Doctor stood with their help and was able to get onto the bed. He couldn't believe how fast this sickness was attacking him. He felt weak and by the time they had wheeled the bed out of the room, he had lost consciousness.

Merry watched in shock as they wheeled him away. It had happened so quickly.

The man with the green hair turned to Merry. "My name is Doru," he said. I'm chief healer here."

"My name is Merry and this is Stjarna."

Doru went to the child and placed a hand on her head. "Yes, I know Stjarna. Her mother and I were classmates. Why do you have her?"

Merry picked up the child, "She was in the orphanage and she same running to me to be held."

"She was in the orphanage?" Then her family is dead?" Doru's eyes lowered to the ground in sorrow.

"I'm so sorry," Merry said quietly.

"This plague is so bad; we can hardly keep track of who has died anymore. I didn't know about Stjarna's family." Doru looked up at Merry, "I'm sorry to see the Doctor is sick. We had hoped he could help us, but now…" his voice trailed off. "I'm afraid at the speed the plague seems to be spreading through him he won't live to see the sun set."

Merry stared in horror at the healer. "What can we do?" she asked.

"Nothing. Unless you know where we can get some inciver," he sadly answered.

Merry's grip around Stjarna tightened. "What is this inciver and how do you know it will cure them?" Merry asked. She was starting to feel slightly hysterical.

"We can only guess," Doru explained. "We have some old documents of a plague that seems very similar to this one we are experiencing now. The people were dying, but they discovered inciver cured them. Apparently the plant was available widely back then. They left us drawings of the plant and how to prepare it, but the plant is no longer found on our planet. That's why we've sent scouts and scientist into space, to see if they could locate the plant. But, no one has returned with anything or any news."

Merry thought about the Doctor. His life was going so fast. She couldn't let him die. "You said you have a picture of this plant. Will you show it to me?" she asked.

"Certainly. Come with me." Doru led them down several halls. Once in a while he would point out one room or another and explain the things they were researching or experimenting with. Merry held Stjarna's hand. The little girl skipped along down the hall, humming to herself.

Doru finally opened a door and they walked into a library. He pulled down a book and started to flip through the pages. Stjarna was getting restless. Merry picked her up and held her close. After several moments, Doru set the book down in front of her. He pointed to a picture. "Here is the inciver plant."

Merry looked at the picture. "Inciver," she whispered to herself. The word was familiar. "Inciver." She looked closely at the picture. "Ginger!" Merry shouted. Her yell startled Stjarna and Doru. "This is a ginger root! No wonder you couldn't find the plant. What you've been looking for is the root!"

Merry laughed. She quickly reached into her pocket and pulled out a small, thin, black box. She put it on the tabled in front of her and opened it. It was an herbal medicine kit that she carried around with her. Inside were 10 tiny vials with various colored powders. Quickly she started to lift up the vials, one by one and look at them. She was sure one of them was ginger. When she finally found it, she held up the tiny vial and examined it. There wasn't much in there, but there was a small amount of the yellow powder.

Merry looked at Doru triumphantly. She noticed the window behind him. The light outside was changing.

"Is that sunset?" Merry asked.

"Yes it is," Doru answered.

"Where's the Doctor? Take me to him, quickly!" Merry jumped up. She stuck the black box into her pocket. She held the tiny vial of ginger in one hand and grabbed Stjarna with the other. She hoisted the child on her hip and ran out the door. Doru ran down several halls. Merry was very aware of the changing color in the hallway due to the setting sun. She ran faster. She had to get to the Doctor right away. Finally Doru pushed open some large doors.

"Where's the Doctor?" Doru asked as he walked in. The room attendant pointed to a bed in a corner.

The Doctor lay on the bed. He looked deathly white. His breathing was shallow and labored and growing slower by the moment. Merry set Stjarna down. She went to the Doctor's bedside. She popped the lid off the vial and stuck her little finger into the yellow powder. Then she gently put her finger, which was covered in the ginger powder, into the Doctor's mouth.

He suckled her finger for a moment and then swallowed. Merry laid her ear to his chest. Already his breathing seemed less labored. She listened for several moments to his double hearts beating. The only time she had ever heard anything similar to the Doctor's double heart beats was when she was pregnant with the twins and could hear their two hearts beating. She sat back up and looked at him. His face had some color again. The ginger was working.

Doru was staring in amazement. He walked up to the Doctor and pulled out his scanner from his pocket. He placed the scanner on the Doctor's head again. "It can't be! He is getting better. This is impossible!"

Merry turned back to look at the Doctor. "He loves the impossible," she smiled.

"What did you give him?" Doru asked.

"Ginger root powder. Inciver is ginger. That is why the name was so familiar to me. Back on Earth, I'm a nurse, but I've studied herbal medicine and remedies, too. Ginger is an ancient plant had has long been used as a spice and a cure. 'Inci Ver' is an ancient name for ginger root."

Next to her, the Doctor stirred, but he didn't wake up. Merry put a hand on his head and began to stroke his head through the curls of hair. She leaned in close to his face. "Just rest Doctor. You are going to be just fine." She kissed his forehead and then stood up. "Come on Doru, we need to talk."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Doru, Merry and Stjarna walked out of the room and down the hall. Merry wanted nothing more than to stay by the Doctor's side, but now that she knew the cure, she had to find a way to help everyone.

"Do you have more inciver?" Doru asked.

Merry held up the tiny vial and looked at it, "Not much. I've only got enough for one more dose like I gave the Doctor."

Stjarna began to get fussy. "I think she is hungry," Merry said. Can we take her back to the school? I guess they would have food for her there."

Doru nodded, "Yes, we can take her back."

He and Merry went outside. The sky was purple. It was almost night. They climbed into a waiting carriage. It seemed to Merry that the carriage service was like that of a taxi service on Earth. They went back to the school. The ride was not long, but Stjarna had fallen asleep in Merry's arms by the time they arrived.

Carefully Merry carried the sleeping child into the school and back to the room she had originally run out of. The care taker of the room strode over to Merry and they gently transferred Stjarna from Merry's arms to the caretaker. Merry kissed the child's face. They quietly said good bye and Merry went back out to the waiting carriage.

She sat down next to Doru. "What do we do now?" she asked.

"I don't know," he replied. "We know that inciver is indeed the cure we seek, but we still don't have any."

Merry sighed, "If the Doctor was well, I could have him take me home. I have lots of ginger there, but I'm afraid that by the time he is well, many more of your people will have died."

The carriage drove along the road. Merry watched the landscape in the dark. Lights were shining from buildings. A street lamp lit up a small garden in someone's yard. It gave Merry an idea.

"Do you have a garden? An arboretum of some sort?" Merry hoped the words would translate.

"Yes we do," Doru said.

"Let's go there and look for an inciver plant. You were looking for the root and not the plant. Maybe you have lots of it, but you didn't know."

Doru told the carriage driver to go to the public gardens. The driver turned down a new street.

"But I still don't know what the plant looks like," Doru said.

"I do," Merry replied.

Doru told the driver to go faster. Several minutes later they were standing in front of a large glass domed building. By now it was very dark. There were few lights in the garden. Doru gave Merry a torch. This was going to be very difficult.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The deep dreamless unconscious sleep the Doctor had been in slowly started to lift. More and more the Doctor became aware of his thoughts and the heavy feel of his body. He listened to the rhythmic beatings of his hearts. He became aware of an unusual taste in his mouth. Slowly he opened his eyes and looked around. The room was dark. He tried to sit up, but a wave of nausea and dizziness washed over him. He lay back down.

He tried to remember what had happened and how he got there. He remembered a child and a woman. He remembered the woman holding his arm. The taste in his mouth became more distinct. It was familiar. What was it? A voice. There had been a kind voice telling him he'd be alright. The voice had been soothing and reassuring. He let his body relax. Everything was going to be alright.

The search was slow going in the dark. Merry had completely lost track of time, but she was sure they had been out there for a long time. The gardens had been closed when they arrived, but Doru used a pass card to get in. He spoke with the security guard when they had arrived and explained the situation. The guard had let them through without a fuss, but he was keeping a close eye on Merry.

Merry's legs were starting to ache. The night was growing cooler and while the jeans and t-shirt she had on had been fine during the day, it wasn't enough for the cool night air.

Merry's torch light passed over a couple of plants. "Ginger!" Merry cried. She ran to the cluster of plants, ready to dig one of the them up.

"Freeze!" a voice called behind Merry.

She stopped in her tracks and turned to see the guard had a gun pointed right at her. She slowly lifted her hands in the air. "But it's ginger. It is inciver. This is the plant we are looking for!" She turned to Doru, "Why won't he let me near that plant?"

"It is the sacred plant. No one can touch it. The penalty for destroying the sacred plant is death," Doru explained.

Merry was angry, "What?"

"Long ago, our ancestors planted those sacred plants. We were told they were to never be destroyed because if the plant was destroyed, we would die," Doru said.

"You are going to die if you don't dig up this plant," Merry pleaded.

The guard pulled out at communicator from his pocket. "Get the Mayor to the garden's right away. We have a stranger here that is threatening the sacred plant."

"I'm not a vandal!" Merry shouted. "I don't want to destroy your plant for no reason. I don't want to destroy it at all. I want to dig it up to get to the root."

The guard took a step closer to Merry and held his gun in her face, "Quiet Human!" he shouted.

Merry stood with her hands in the air. She was breading hard in anger. Their people were dying and they wouldn't let her dig up the one plant that could cure them all. It was only a matter of minutes before Merry heard a siren and carriages pulling up in front of the garden. A dozen people ran into the gardens and right up to Merry. Two large men grabbed her by the arms and pushed her down to her knees. Several other men raised guns at her. Merry kept very still. She was frightened. She wished the Doctor was there with her. He'd know what to do.

The Mayor stood in front of Merry. He was dressed in a night robe. He did not look at all happy to be out in the cold and dark and deal with a human intruder. "What is the meaning of this, Human?" he bellowed.

Merry's voice trembled, "Mayor, it is inciver. Your sacred plant is inciver. It is the cure to your plague."

The Mayor looked over Merry's shoulder at the plant. "That is not the plant. I've seen a picture of the inciver and that is not it."

"What you've seen," Merry began, "is the root. It is the part of the plant that is under the ground. The root is what you need to cure your people!"

The Mayor and Doru exchanged glances.

"Where is the Doctor?" the Mayor demanded.

"He got sick, Mayor," Doru explained. "The Doctor picked up the virus after arriving here. It seems his species is quite susceptible to the plague and within an hour of the first symptom, he was almost dead. Merry realized the inciver plant is a common plant on her home planet. She had a tiny amount of inciver in powder with her. She gave it to the Doctor, who was at death's door, and it helped him. His health began to restore immediately."

"This powder," the Mayor yelled, "what is it?"

"On Earth, it is called ginger, but it is the same as your inciver plant." Merry's voice sounded calmer and cooler than she actually felt. "The tiny amount I had helped the Doctor. Think of what this plant has to offer your people – a cure!"

The Mayor and Doru exchanged glances again. Merry couldn't tell what they were thinking.

"Look, Mayor, what is this plants' proper name?" Merry asked.

"It is the sacred plant," he answered.

"Why is it called that? Why doesn't it have a proper name?"

The Mayor looked calm, but his voice was showing hints at his anger, "It has no other name. It needs no other name. It is the sacred plant. Our ancestors told us that the day this plant is destroyed our people would die. No one is allowed to touch it."

"Sir, your ancestors said this because they knew that if a plague like this one they experience returned, the inciver would be the cure you would need. Without the inciver, your sacred plant, your people will die!"

The Mayor took several steps towards Merry. "You seem to know an awful lot about our past, Human. It makes me wonder who you and the Doctor really are. Perhaps my father was deceived by the Doctor and he is here not to help, but to…"

"No!" Merry shouted, interrupting the Mayor.

Doru quickly approached the Mayor, "Sir," he said, "Merry knows a little of our history because I told her. We are here because I brought her. She felt certain that she could find inciver in our gardens. I had no idea it would turn out to be the sacred plant. Do not punish her."

"So I need to punish you?" the Mayor sneered at Doru.

"Sir, I'm only doing my job. My own family has died from this plague. I'm trying to find a cure," Doru pleaded.

The Mayor turned to Doru. Merry could see that Doru was in big trouble. Her mind was working fast. She had to help. Hundreds of children were orphans, hundreds more of the people were dying. The Doctor had only just escaped death. She couldn't let Doru or anyone else suffer and die.

"I offer you a proposition!" Merry shouted.

The Mayor turned back to her. "A proposition you say? Well, let's hear it."

Merry took a deep breath, "Let me dig up one of the plants. If it is inciver, Doru will prepare it and give it to your sick. If it cures the people, you let me go. If it does not, I will accept death as a penalty for digging up the sacred plant. My life will be yours and you will have your justice. Come on," Merry pleaded, "It is the death of one plant or the death of your entire civilization!"

The Mayor stood quite still. He considered her offer with a great amount of depth. Finally he spoke in a voice barely above a whisper, "Get her a shovel."

Merry's breath returned to normal. Her guards released their tight grips on her shoulders. She was handed a spade. Slowly Merry approached the plant. She knelt down alongside the closest ginger plant. She could smell the fragrance of the familiar plant. She knew she had the right one. Carefully she grasped the plant with her left hand and with the spade in her right, she dug around the base of the plant. Despite the coldness of the night, she could feel beads of sweat running down her head. The plant was beginning to loosening from the soil. After several moments, Merry pulled the plant from the ground. A large ginger root hung below the leaves of the plant.

She held it up for Doru and the Mayor to see. They shined their torch lights on it. Doru approached the plant and Merry. He looked over the root. "This is it!" he cried out. "It looks just like the picture." He grabbed the plant from Merry and ran out the garden doors.

Merry tried to run after him, but her guards grabbed her by the arms again and held her back. The Mayor turned to look at her. "Put the human in the cell. She will wait there until the cure begins to work… if it does." The Mayor sneered his teeth at her. He turned on his heels and walked away. The two guards pushed Merry to the door. They roughly pushed her into a caged carriage and drove off in the opposite direction that everyone else had just gone. When they arrived, they pulled her out and practically dragged her into the jail. Down a dark hall in the basement of the building were rows and rows of doors. One of the guards opened one of the doors. The other guard shoved her in. She fell to the hard floor, heard the door close and a loud click. She was locked in.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The Doctor woke suddenly. A loud commotion in the hall was what woke him. He still felt tired and heavy, but his mine was clearer. He lay in bed and listened to the voices and footsteps as they approached him. The door burst open with two loud crashes and seconds later the curtain that surrounded the Doctor's bed was thrown back.

The Doctor watched as a man approached the bed. The man looked familiar.

"You can't do this," one of the other men shouted.

The man who approached the Doctor's bed turned back and looked at the man who had just spoken, "What can't I do? Cure him? I'm a healer, it's what I do." He turned back to the Doctor, "It's good to see you awake, Doctor. We almost lost you. Can you sit up? I've got your medicine for you."

The Doctor struggled to get up. The man held out his hand and helped to pull the Doctor into a sitting position. There was no nausea this time, but the Doctor was quite dizzy. The man held a thin, round, white disc in his hands. It had a pungent, familiar smell. The man put the white smelly thing into the Doctor's mouth.

The taste was incredibly powerful and the Doctor choked on it.

"I know, it tastes strange and is hard to swallow, but it works," the man said.

The Doctor closed his eyes and swallowed hard. Once it had gone down, the Doctor immediately felt a little better. His brain finally registered the taste, "Ginger?"

"It is," the man said, "also known as inciver."

The Doctor's eyes got wide. He looked around. There were four Weyk men in the room with him. "Where's Merry?" he asked.

The men exchanged glances with each other. The one who had spoken earlier shook his head.

"Where is she?" the Doctor yelled.

"Doctor, my name is Doru. I've been working with Merry since you took ill."

The Doctor's eyes narrowed, "Then where is she?" His voice was deep and dark.

"She has been put into the cell, by the Mayor," Doru answered.

The Doctor flung the sheet off of himself and threw his legs over the side of the bed. He stood up and felt a wave of dizziness. He grabbed the bed and steadied himself until the head cleared.

Doru stepped forward and took the Doctor's arm, trying to help support him. "Doctor, you are too weak. You need to rest."

The Doctor threw off Doru's grip. "I'm well enough to go find Merry." The Doctor was still holding onto the bed. "What happened? Why is she in the cell?" He was taking in deep breaths, trying to get control of the dizziness in his head.

The man who spoke first stepped closer to the Doctor. In a pompous tone he announced to the Doctor, "She dug up the inciver plant from the city gardens."

"That's all?" the Doctor said. He stared at the man. His eyes were like ice.

The man shrunk back from the Doctor's gaze, but his tone was still pompous, "The penalty for digging up the sacred plant is death."

"Death?" the Doctor yelled. "Take me to her!"

Doctor followed Doru out the door and down the hall. He was having a hard time keeping his balance. His socked feet slipped on the floor. "Explain to me what happened, Doru."

Doru kept walking, but he slowed his pace so the weak Doctor could keep up with him. "Merry worked out that the inciver plant that we were searching for was the root of a plant. That plant is unfortunately for her, our sacred plant. It is forbidden for anyone to even touch it, much less dig it up. She made a deal with the mayor that if she dug up the plant and it was inciver and cured our sick, that she would be forgiven of her crime and set free, but if it was not the right plant or failed to cure the plague that she would be willing to pay the penalty and be put to death."

"What?" the Doctor cried. "Has it worked? It worked on me. Has the plant been administered to anyone else?"

"Yes, many people now," Doru answered.

"And?" the Doctor asked, "Has it worked?"

Doru smiled. "It has. The people are getting better. No one has died in the last three hours."

The Doctor grabbed Doru's coat with tremendous strength for being so weak, and spun him around to face the Doctor. "Then why is Merry still in the cell?"

"Because the Mayor's an idiot," Doru answered. "Believe me Doctor; I'm on your side. Come on, we are going to bust Merry out of there."

The Doctor was exhausted, but determined to help Merry. They walked out into the bright sunshine of the day. "How long was I out for?" he asked.

"About 12 hours. You almost didn't survive the first hour. But Merry, when she realized that the inciver is what they call ginger on Earth, she had some with her. It was a tiny amount of it in powder form. She gave it to you, in what were probably your final breaths, and immediately, you began to get better. It wasn't enough to cure you, but it was enough to stop the illness from killing you. She saved your life Doctor."

"And every other citizen of this city," the Doctor added.

They took a carriage to the security cell facility. The Doctor noticed more people on the street than there had been the day before. "The people are out again," he said.

Doru smiled. "Yes. Within an hour of Merry's digging up the inciver, we had enough prepared that a team of healers went to every household and administered the remedy. The people are better already."

When they arrived, the Doctor climbed down. He could feel his own strength coming back to him. They walked into the building, but a guard was waiting for them.

"I'm sorry, but you cannot go back," the guard said.

The Doctor took a step forward, "Let me in."

"Mayor's orders," the guard stuck out his arm and pushed the Doctor in the shoulder. "No one is allowed to see the Human."

"Then let me see the Mayor," the Doctor said. He was quickly losing his patience. The guard pulled out a communicator and spoke into it.

The Doctor pulled Doru aside. "Listen, I'm not feeling so well. Is there a restroom around here?"

Doru looked at the guard, who pointed to a door at the far end of the room. The Doctor staggered towards it and pushed the door open. He stepped in, but he didn't let the door close completely. He watched the guard through the opening. As soon as the guard and Doru had turned their backs to the door, the Doctor slipped out and ran as fast as he could in his socked feet. By the time he reached the end of the corridor, he was breathing hard and his hearts were pounding in his chest. The sickness had been a nasty one. It had sapped every bit of his energy.

He moved on as fast as he was able without feeling the urge to pass out. He made his way down a flight of stairs and into the holding cell area. The hall was clear as far as he could make out. Quietly he moved to the first door and peeked in through the door's tiny window. It wasn't Merry. He moved to the next one. Not Merry. He was about to the third door when he heard voices behind him. The Doctor ran down the hall and slipped under the hall warden's desk, which thankfully, was empty.

The guard from the front all and Doru turned the corner and started down the hall towards where the Doctor hiding.

"When I find him," the guard was growling, "he will be sorry he ever came here."

"I think he already is," came Doru's snide remark. "If you had just helped us, he wouldn't be missing and you wouldn't be in trouble."

"My orders were lot to let anyone in."

They stopped quite close to where the Doctor was hiding. The Doctor was sure the pounding of his hears would give him away.

"Well, she's alone. He hasn't found her yet. Let's go check the other floors," the guard said. The Doctor listened as their footsteps went back down the hall and then disappeared. He peeked up from behind the desk. The coast was clear. He hurried over to the area where the guard had been standing. He looked into a cell door window and saw Merry, sitting in a chair; her face berried in the handkerchief he had given her. She was alive.

The Doctor reached for his sonic screwdriver when he realized he wasn't wearing his coat. He had gotten out of bed and left so quickly that he hadn't noticed he wasn't wearing his coat or even his waistcoat. His white shirt was only halfway buttoned and was something of a mess with half of it being untucked. No shoes, no coat and no sonic screwdriver. He felt cold.

Voices came from the hall, again. This time he would meet them. He quickly tucked in the shirt half that was hanging out. He stood his full height and waited calmly.

"There you are Doctor!" Doru shouted. Doru was accompanied by the guard and the Mayor.

"Mayor," the Doctor said calmly, "what is the meaning of keeping this lady locked up in a cell?" His eyes were cold. "From what I can tell, she saved your people and you've got her locked up like a criminal."

"Doctor, she broke a law," the Mayor's voice was stern. "It is my duty to make sure the laws of the land are obeyed otherwise we would have chaos."

"Let's see. If I were to go out into your city and I asked all the people whose lives were just saved by the sacred plant, what do you think they will say was more important? The life of a plant or their own lives and the lives of their family members? I'll give you a hint. They don't care about a silly law regarding a plant," The Doctor said.

The Mayor stood still and speechless.

"Now, let her go," the Doctor demanded.

For several moments nobody moved. Then, without taking his eyes off the Doctor, the Mayor said, "Open the door."

The guard typed a code into the panel by the door and the door swung open. Merry ran out and embraced the Doctor.

"You're OK!" she said. "I'm so glad you are alright."

"I am thanks to you," the Doctor said.

"I was so worried about you." They hugged for a few moments longer before she pulled away and looked him in the face. "You look tired, Doctor."

He smiled. "I am."

Doru stepped forward, "Come with me," he said. "I'll take you back to the hospital. You can get your things and rest."

Merry went to Doru and hugged him too. "Thank you, Doru."

"Why do you thank me Merry?" Doru asked. "I didn't protect you when you needed it most."

"I know and I'm very upset with you for that," Merry smiled, "but without you, we never would have saved the Doctor's life."

Doru smiled. "We saved more than the Doctor's life."

"Do you mean it worked?" Merry jumped excitedly.

"It did. The people are getting well," Doru said.

Merry hugged Doru again, "Oh, I'm so happy!"

The Doctor watched Doru and Merry. He was happy to see Merry so genuinely happy. They walked past the Mayor and the guard without a second look and out into the sunshine. When they got back to the hospital, the last thing the Doctor wanted to do was go back to bed, but he knew he needed the rest in order to get better. Merry tucked him in and then pulled up a chair to sit alongside him. She took his hand into hers and she stroked it for a few moments.

"Just sleep now Doctor," she whispered. "Just sleep."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The Doctor closed his eyes, relaxed his body and sleep took him. When he woke up he could tell immediately that he felt better. He wasn't one to need much sleep. In fact he got by very well on nothing more than a few hours a week, but he had slept most of the last day and a half away. It was an odd feeling. He noticed Merry was still sitting in the chair next to his bed. She was learning forward and her head was resting on the bed next to his chest. She was sleeping. The Doctor tried to move without disturbing her, but as soon as he began to move, she woke up.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Better. Much better," he answered.

Merry rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She was holding the Doctor's handkerchief in her hand. She stuffed it back into her pocket. The Doctor sat up and sung his legs over the side of the bed.

"Can you get me my waistcoat?" he asked.

Merry went to the coat rack where his things were neatly hung. She got the silver waistcoat and cravat and handed it to him. He slipped the waistcoat on and buttoned it up. Then he tied the cravat around his neck and tucked it into the waistcoat. Merry handed him his shoes. He put them on and stood up. No dizziness this time. He could tell the illness was gone. Merry had saved him.

She was smiling and holding his coat. She helped him put it on. He gently pushed her back down into her chair and he brought up another one and sat it down in front of her. He took her hands in his.

"Are you alright?" he asked quietly.

"Yes," said Merry brightly, "and no." Her voice dropped. "Doctor, I'm so happy you are well and I'm so happy that everyone who was sick is getting better. It is amazing and I'm glad to have had a hand in it." She took a deep breath, "But Doctor, I spent most of last night in a jail cell."

The Doctor interrupted her, "I'm so sorry about that. You should never have been put in there." It was obvious to Merry that he was quite mad about that.

She smiled. "No Doctor, I'm not upset by that. I understood that I broke one of their laws and I was willing to die for it if it meant saving everyone else and I knew it would. But all that time in the cell gave me a lot of time to think. I thought about Peter, Liam and Ailish. I had the cure in my house while they were sick! I have lots of ginger in my home. It is my favorite spice, my favorite tea, my favorite fragrance. I could have saved them. I had the cure in my home all the time. I could have saved them!"

"You didn't know," the Doctor said.

"I drink ginger tea every day. That is why I never got sick. My daily dose of ginger prevented me from getting sick. Peter hated ginger tea and never drank it and the twins were so young, I hadn't given them any yet. If I had known that I had the cure in my hands every day, I would have forced Peter to take it and given it to my babies."

Merry pulled the handkerchief out again. It was getting very wet from the regular use it had been getting since the Doctor first handed it to her less than two days ago.

"Merry, you didn't know. You can't beat yourself up like that. You had ginger every day and it was available to Peter. He only had to drink it once in a while. It would have pleased you and it would have protected him, but he chose not to. As a matter of fact, I chose not to as well."

Merry looked at the Doctor. She was puzzled.

"Do you remember our delightful tea party in your yard?" he asked. Merry nodded. "You offered me ginger tea, remember? And I turned it down. You could have saved me right then and there, but it was my choice not to accept it," he paused thoughtfully for a moment. "Now, you mustn't be upset any longer. You saved a city. You saved an entire civilization! Think of the hundreds of people who owe you their lives. Myself included."

Merry smiled shyly.

"Do you remember the message that the Weyk visitors in the spaceship left Peter and that you memorized?" the Doctor asked. Merry nodded. "Remember how they said they were searching for the Healer and we took it to mean me, The Doctor? I was wrong about that translation. They meant you. You are the Healer that they were seeking. You are a nurse and healer from Earth. They needed you." The Doctor smiled at Merry. She hugged him.

"Have you seen Stjarna today?" the Doctor asked brightly.

"No. I dropped her back off at the school last night. Then I went to the gardens, found the sacred plant, dug it up, got thrown in jail, released from jail and then sat by your side until 10 minutes ago. I'm afraid I've been rather busy," Merry answered with a little smile.

"Well then, should we go find her?" The Doctor stood up and offered Merry his elbow. She took it and they walked out together. The sun was starting to set on the horizon. The Doctor and Merry walked to the school. It wasn't far and they both felt like a little exercise after having spent so much of the last day cooped up.

When they entered the school, Merry noticed there was more laughter and chatting among the children. Merry walked to the door of Stjarna's room and she opened it up. Stjarna squealed in delight and ran to Merry.

Merry scooped the child into her arms and hugged her tight. The Doctor noticed another child in the corner of the room crying. He walked up to the child, sat down on the floor in front of him and spoke to him in a quiet whisper. The child climbed into the Doctor's lap and stopped crying. The Doctor cuddled the child and whispered to him.

Merry went over to them and sat down on the floor next to the Doctor. Stjarna settled herself in Merry's lap.

The Doctor patted the child's head as he spoke to Merry. "His name is Beltreb. He told me his father died. He misses his father."

"He has not allowed me or any of the other caretakers to comfort him," the caretaker came over to where the Doctor and Merry sat. "I'm surprised he has allowed you to hold him."

Merry smiled, "Sometimes only a daddy will do. Beltreb may not know you, but he can tell that you are a kind father-type person and that is what he needs right now." She started playing with Stjarna's hair. "These poor children. So many of them are so young. They don't understand why they can't go home or see their parents."

"They are so lonely and looking for someone to love them that they will take it from anyone, even a stranger, like me." The Doctor said quietly. He laid his head on the child's. He looked sad. Memories from long ago stirred in his mind and he recalled his own children, holding them, playing with them and singing them songs.

As if Merry could read the Doctor's thoughts, she began singing. She had dug deep into her own memories and recalled a lullaby that she had learned in college. She sang it quietly to the Stjarna and Beltreb. The Doctor was surprised to see other children come and sit with them while Merry sang. He was even more surprised when he realized the words she was singing wasn't being translated by the TARDIS. She was actually singing to them in a language similar to their own.

By the time Merry had finished her song, she had two children sitting in her lap and the Doctor had two more children leaning up against his arms.

"Sing it again, Merry," he said. Merry did and the children sat quietly to listen. Even the room's caretaker came over and sat with the children. When Merry was done, the caretaker stood up and quietly announced to the children it was time to go eat. All the children jumped up and ran to the door and waited for the caretaker to lead them out. When they had left, Merry and the Doctor stood up.

"Doctor," said Merry, "I want to say here."

"Stay here? You don't want to go home?" he asked.

Merry shook her head. "No, there is nothing for me there. But here, this building is filled with children who don't have parents. And I'm a parent with no children."

"Merry, you can't adopt all of these children," the Doctor said.

Merry smiled. "I know that, but I can help them. Maybe they would let me have Stjarna and I can help to care for the others until adoptive parents can be found. I've got no one back on Earth, but here is different. I've got Stjarna."

The Doctor studied Merry's face. Her smile was real. He could tell how attached to the small child she had become. The Doctor was fond of the child as well. Stjarna and Merry needed each other.

"Merry," he mused, "how did you know that song? You sang to the children in a language that was almost their own."

"Was it not their language?" Merry asked.

"Not quite, but it was very close and they probably understood it. How did you know that song?" the Doctor asked.

Merry smiled shyly. "This is going to sound silly, Doctor, I know, but years ago, when I first started school at the university, I had wanted to study Indo-European language and history. I took classes in Indo-European history, grammar and language structure, and etymology. I loved my classes and everything I learned, but after two years, I realized I could never make a living doing that, so I switched to nursing.

"I started to realize after arriving here that I was recognizing words, but I couldn't figure out why. Then last night when I had those long hours in the cell, I started to comprehend why the language seemed so familiar. It is similar to Indo-European! Now Doctor, tell me why these people speak a dialect of sorts of my own language's Mother tongue."

"The universe is full of mysteries. Sometimes I go out into the universe to solve mysteries, but there are many that remain a mystery. This is probably one of those mysteries of the universe that we must simply accept. Two civilizations, two species, two planets, tens of thousands of years apart, one base language." The Doctor smiled. "So you want to stay?"

"Yes," Merry answered. There was no hesitation in her reply.

"The TARDIS translation will remain with you for a short time after I leave, but it will fade away and you will have to learn the language, although that doesn't seem like it will be a problem for you," the Doctor said.

"No, I don't think it will be," Merry smiled. "I do have one favor to ask of you, though."

"Yes?"

"Will you take me back to my home? I want to get a few things and I have one loose end I want to tie up. Then, if you would, bring me back here. I mean, can you do that?" Merry felt a little uneasy asking for so much from the Doctor.

"Of course I can," the Doctor said. "Come one, I can have you back here before the children are done with dinner."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

They went back to the TARDIS. Merry sat in a soft, high-backed chair near the center console during the journey back to her house on Earth. She let the Doctor work his magic on the controls and concentrate on flying the ship. When he announced they had arrived home, Merry hopped out of the chair and opened the TARDIS doors.

"Wow! You parked it in the living room!" she called back over her shoulder to the Doctor, who was still standing at the controls.

"I hope that's alright," he called back to her. "Did I break anything?"

"No. I'm very impressed, Doctor." She stepped out of the blue box and ran down the hall to her bedroom. "I won't be long," she called. Merry pulled out a suitcase and started throwing clothes into it. When she had all the clothes she wanted, she carried her suit case to the kitchen. She carefully began wrapping her tea set in her clothes. The Doctor watched her. He was quite amused.

"You're taking your tea set?" he asked.

"Of course. I can't go live on Weyk and have them think I'm uncivilized." Merry laughed. "Besides Doctor, they will always remind me of you and how you changed my life forever, over tea."

The Doctor laughed. "Can I help you with anything?" he asked.

"Yeah, can you get the bag of ginger from the fridge? It's in the bottom drawer." Merry continued wrapping the tea set and placing it gently into her suitcase.

The Doctor opened the refrigerator and pulled out a large bag of fresh ginger root. "You really do like ginger, don't you?"

"Yes," Merry agreed. She opened her spice cupboard and pulled out two more large bottles of ginger powder. She put it all into her suitcase. She next went to the wall and took down several pictures: a photo of her and Peter on the day they got married and the picture of the family on the twins first birthday. She went into the twin's bedroom next. She took a favorite toy from each of her children, plus one extra doll that she would give to Stjarna. She put all of this into her suitcase and zipped it up.

"Are you ready?" the Doctor asked.

"Almost Doctor. The suitcase is ready, but I have one more thing to do. I'm sorry this is taking so long," Merry called as she walked from one room to the next.

"Relax, Merry," the Doctor chuckled. "You're not taking long at all."

"But I want to get back before the children are done eating," Merry said.

"Merry, I guess I haven't told you yet, but the TARDIS is a time machine as well as a spaceship."

Merry looked around the corner at him. "What? You've had a time machine all this time and you didn't tell me? Can you take me back to before Peter died so I can give him ginger?"

"No Merry, I can't. I can't go back in your personal time stream. What's done is done. We can't change it." He walked over to Merry and laid his hands on her arms. "What it does mean is I can get you back to Weyk before the children are done eating their dinner. Stjarna will never know you went away." He looked earnestly at Merry. "You do understand, don't you?"

"Yes, I understand," Merry's head dropped.

"I'm sorry," the Doctor said.

"It's alright," Merry sniffed. "I understand and it's OK. I just have one more thing I need to do and then I'll be ready to go."

"Take your time," the Doctor said. "I'll put your suitcase into the TARDIS."

Merry sat down at the table and began to write a letter. It took her longer than she expected, but the Doctor was patient with her. When she was done, she took the letter out to her mailbox.

"It's a letter to my cousin, Tim," she explained. "He's been in the Navy for years and will be retiring soon. I'm giving him the house. He can either keep it or sell it and use the money for his own place. It's his now."

"Are you ready then?" the Doctor asked.

Merry picked up a potted plant off the porch. "Yes, I am now." Merry was smiling.

"What's with the plant?" the Doctor asked.

"It's a ginger plant. I'll offer it to the Mayor to replace the one I dug up."

The Doctor smiled. "You are remarkable."

Merry took one final look around the house and then she followed the Doctor into the TARDIS.

He was already at the controls and flipping witches. Merry set the plant down next to her suitcase. She went over to the high-backed chair again, sat down and watched the Doctor as he put the TARDIS into flight.

"Doctor, how do you keep track of your own personal time on a time machine?" Merry asked.

"It isn't easy," the Doctor laughed, "so the TARDIS keeps track of it for me."

"You speak of this craft as if it was a close, personal friend," Merry said.

"Well, it is," the Doctor said. "The TARDIS and I have been traveling together for over six hundred years."

"Six hundred years? You mean to tell me you are six hundred years old?" Merry asked.

"No, I'm quite a bit older than that," the Doctor blushed. "I'm over eight hundred years old, but the TARDIS and I have been travelling the universe together for six hundred. Give or take a few hundred years," the Doctor smiled his half grin.

"My, my," Merry said, "your race lives for a long time."

"We can, yes."

"Well Doctor, I must say, that for being eight hundred years old, you look great."

"Thank you," the Doctor said. "Do you know how I manage to stay so young?"

Merry stood up and walked over to him at the console. "How?" she asked.

"By believing in the impossible."

Merry laughed. The Doctor did too.

The journey back to Weyk wasn't long. The Doctor parked the TARDIS right outside the school. He picked up Merry's suitcase and she picked up the potted ginger plant. Before stepping out, Merry turned back at the looked at the TARDIS console.

"Thank you TARDIS!" she called. "Take good care of him."

A single spark flew off the TARDIS console.

"Incredible!" the Doctor said.

Merry laughed and stepped out of the blue box and into the evening air. They walked back to the classroom that was Stjarna's. Merry and the Doctor were surprised to see the Mayor and Deputy Gweri in the classroom.

"There you are Doctor," the Mayor said. "I was hoping to find you. I want to apologize. I had a laps of bad judgment and I'm not proud of my actions or behavior."

"It's not to me whom you owe an apology," the Doctor said.

"You are right," the Mayor looked to Merry. "Madame, I wish to apologize to you. My behavior has been inexcusable. You made an honest, brave offer with your life and I took advantage of it. I am deeply sorry."

Merry smiled. She stepped up to the Mayor and held out her potted ginger. "Mayor, I accept your apology. As a peace offering, I bring you a new inciver plant to replace the one I dug up from your city garden."

"Thank you," the Mayor said. He took the plant from Merry. "What can we offer you in return?"

"I wish to stay here. I want to adopt Stjarna and live here among your people," Merry answered.

"It is a request we will gladly grant. You are welcome here Merry, Citizen of Weyk."

The voices of the children could be heard coming down the hall. The door of the room opened and the children came in. Stjarna ran to Merry. Merry scooped the child into her arms and kissed her. "You're mine now, Stjarna and we are going to be very happy together."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

The Doctor stood in front of the TARDIS. Merry was holding Stjarna, who was holding the doll that Merry had brought for her from Earth.

"When I first met you, what, three days ago?" Merry started, "You told me you would help me find peace and closure. I didn't think that was possible. But you did it. You helped me to believe in the impossible. You helped me see I was strong and that my life was still worth living. You have brought me peace and joy. How can I ever thank you?"

"Help rebuild this world Merry." The Doctor smiled. "Take care of Stjarna and be happy."

Merry's eyes filled with tears again, but not the tears of loss and despair that she had felt so often. These were tears of joy. Merry pulled the handkerchief out of her pocket and began to dab her eyes.

"Oh, this is yours Doctor. I'm afraid it is rather messy." Merry held up the handkerchief.

"No worries," the Doctor said. He took the handkerchief from Merry. Merry was sad to part with his. She had come to love its soft texture and calming smell of the Doctor that it carried.

The Doctor reached into his coat pockets and pulled out a fresh handkerchief. He gave it to Merry. "Something to remember me by."

Merry took the silky handkerchief and held it up to her face. "Thank you," she said.

"Best wishes to you," the Doctor said. He pulled Merry and Stjarna into a hug. They hugged him back.

Merry kissed the Doctor on the cheek. "Take care," she whispered in his ear. They pulled away from each other. Merry took several steps back and watched the Doctor as he walked into the TARDIS and closed the door. Moments later Merry heard the engines on the TARDIS start to hum. She and Stjarna watched as the TARDIS dematerialized. They waved. When the blue box was out of sight Merry wiped away a tear. She looked at Stjarna and hugged her tight.

"Come on, dear. Let's go home."


End file.
